London launches Olympic Games bid

12:05AM GMT 15 Jan 2004

Everyone is being urged to take a giant "Leap for London" and back the city's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games in a new advertising campaign.

Advertising agents M & C Saatchi have used landmarks such as Tower Bridge and the London Eye to help drum up national support. The media campaign coincides with the deadline for the nine bidding cities to hand in a detailed questionnaire to the International Olympic Committee on how they hope to stage the Games.

The images include a powerful hurdler jumping over Tower Bridge - with the headline "Leap for London" above it and a female high jumper clearing the top of the London Eye.

Keith Mills, London 2012 chief executive, said: "We need the help, support and enthusiasm of everyone in the UK. We need them to make a leap of faith, a leap of the imagination and a leap of inspiration. We need them to make a Leap for London.

"Leap for London is not a bid slogan, it is the start of an 18- month journey to build understanding of the bid, to generate support, to nurture enthusiasm and then get people to demonstrate their desire to bring the Games to London and make them the most inspirational Games yet seen."

Related Articles

The aim is to focus on the benefits that the Games could bring. Slogans include "it will be a giant leap for the regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley" in east London where the Games could be held, and "it will be an enormous leap for the pride of this nation".

Other slogans which could become familiar in the 18-month run-up to the Games highlight improvements for local communities, in sport, business, jobs, in tourism and facilities.

This month the images will feature on giant posters at London's Kings Cross, Tower Bridge Approach, Mansell Street, Bishopsgate and City Gateway. Large posters will be driven around the city for five days on 15 ad-vans.